1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to processing information in a communications system, and more particularly to a system and method of furnishing illegal mobile equipment user information in a mobile communication system including but not limited to one having an International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) network environment.
2. Background of the Related Art
Communication network environments are increasingly required to furnish network users with reliable and secure service irrespective of the type of communication being provided, e.g., wire communications, wireless communications, voice communications, and/or data communications.
Existing mobile networks provide a security service according to a three-step process: authenticating users trying access to the communication system through an Authentication Center (AUC), checking whether mobile equipment of the user is illegal mobile equipment through an Equipment Identity Register (EIR), and forbidding usage of the illegal mobile equipment when the mobile equipment is determined to be illegal mobile equipment. The manner in which usage of illegal mobile equipment is forbidden will now be explained in greater detail.
Mobile equipment typically includes a unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), and an EIR manages status and related information through classifying the IMEI of all mobile equipments into several lists according to specific conditions. These lists include a white list, a black list, and a gray list.
The white list includes IMEIs which have been authenticated in the communication network. The black list includes IMEIs which have not been authenticated or have been designated as illegal, such as an IMEI of stolen mobile equipment or duplicated mobile equipment. The gray list includes IMEIs which require management because of necessities in network operation.
Mobile equipment having an IMEI classified into the black list is not admitted to receive network communication service. In contrast, mobile equipment having an IMEI classified into the white list or the gray list is admitted to receive network communication service. However, the mobile equipment having an IMEI classified into the gray list is managed by being traced by the network.
The EIR manages all IMEIs according to classified lists and furnishes a Mobile Application Part (MAP) protocol message (IMEI request message) received from a switching system (Mobile Switching Center (MSC)/Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN)) with information about service grade of the IMEI.
The MAP protocol message is a message of signaling system No. 7 network used for information exchange between a number of network entities, such as a Home Location Register (HLR), an MSC/SGSN, a Visitor Location Register (VLR), a Base Station (BS), an AUC, an EIR and a Short Message Center (SMC).
Types and parameter configurations of MAP_CHECK_IMEI protocol messages transmitted and received between the MSC/SGSN and EIR in higher rank is explained in greater detail with reference to TABLE 1 below.
TABLE 1Parameter NameRequestIndicationResponseConfirmInvoke idMM(=)M(=)M(=)IMEICC(=)CC(=)Equipment statusCC(=)User errorCC(=)Provider errorOIn this table, M is a necessary parameter, C is a selective parameter, O is a selective parameter of a service operator, and (=) indicates that the parameter has a same value.
A request message is a MAP protocol message that the MSC/SGSN sends to the EIR to request an IMEI service grade of mobile equipment. An indication message is a request message as viewed from the EIR. A response message is a MAP protocol message that the EIR sends to the MSC/SGSN to inform it of the IMEI service grade of the mobile equipment in response to the request message. And, the confirm message is a response message as viewed from the MSC/SGSN.
FIG. 1 shows steps included in an IMEI information furnishing procedure using the MAP protocol message. According to the 3G technical specification TS 29.002 (GSM 09.02), the EIR receives a MAP_CHECK_IMEI [IMEI] request message including IMEI information of mobile equipment from the MSC/SGSN (S1) and checks whether the mobile equipment is one of which a robbery or loss has been reported, whether the mobile equipment is one which has been illegally duplicated, whether the mobile equipment is not authenticated, etc.
Next, a MAP_CHECK_IMEI [Equipment status] response message including a result of said checking is transmitted to the MSC/SGSN (S2). This message is transmitted to activate the function of preventing a mobile communication subscriber from receiving mobile communication service using illegal mobile equipment. In other words, if the EIR receives a MAP_CHECK_IMEI [IMEI] request message including IMEI information of the mobile equipment from the MSC/SGSN, the EIR checks the received MAP_CHECK_IMEI [IMEI] request message and determines whether an error exists in contents of the message. If the MAP_CHECK_IMEI [IMEI] request message is determined to be a normal message, the EIR inquires of a service grade (white list, black list or gray list) of the IMEI by retrieving information from a database. Then, the EIR transmits the MAP_CHECK_IMEI [Equipment status] response message storing the service grade in mobile equipment status parameter to the MSC/SGSN.
If an error exists in the received MAP_CHECK_IMEI [IMEI] request message and contents of the message (for instance, system shutdown happens or the IMEI included in the message is an unknown IMEI), the EIR transmits a MAP_CHECK_IMEI [User error] response message to the MSC/SGSN (S3).
In a related-art system, a service grade of mobile equipment is checked using a MAP protocol message between an MSC/SGSN and an EIR to prevent a blacklist mobile equipment user from receiving mobile communication service. In performing this function, the MSC/SGSN only requests the IMEI of mobile equipment for purposes of determining service grade and the EIR responds by only providing the requested IMEI of the mobile equipment. Thus, when mobile equipment is determined to be blacklist mobile equipment, there are problems in that the EIR stores meaningless information (such as a final access time of the illegal mobile equipment) which cannot be used as a basis for determining an identity of the illegal mobile equipment user.
The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.